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Player News - Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Josh Smith hit just 5-of-16 shots in Friday's 81-73 elimination loss in Game 6 against the Pacers, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds, one steal and one block.

The Hawks had a 16-minute stretch in which they hit 1-of-21 shots over the second and third quarters and that was the difference tonight. Smith is likely to be overpaid by somebody in free agency and we doubt it will be the Hawks. Al Horford scored 15 points with seven boards, and Jeff Teague went cold with 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting and just two assists.

Stephenson rolled the same ankle two weeks ago but we're not going to put him on the injury report unless we hear more about this. He'll have plenty of time to heal up before the Pacers take on the Knicks on Monday or Tuesday.

David West scored 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting with eight rebounds and four blocks as the Pacers dispatched the Hawks to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Friday.

The Pacers struggled a lot more than many thought they would with the Hawks, but they pose a legitimate threat to the Knicks in the next round. Roy Hibbert went for 17 and 11 with two blocks, and George Hill had 21 points and seven assists in the win.

Kevin Garnett scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals as the Celtics couldn't come back from a 26-point deficit and lost Friday's Game 6 against the Knicks by the score of 88-80.

This could very easily be the end of the KG era in Boston. Doc Rivers said after the game he's not 100 percent sure that he'll be back but if he had to pick today that he would be, and Danny Ainge has some tough questions to answer about where to go with this roster. Paul Pierce scored 14 points with seven rebounds and five assists, and Jeff Green had 21 points in the elimination loss.

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points on 7-of-23 shooting with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block as the Knicks held on to beat the Celtics and advance to the conference semi-finals on Friday.

Anthony appeared to tweak his shoulder during the fourth quarter and we'll be watching that going forward, but the story of tonight was how the Knicks did their best Warriors imitation and almost blew a 26-point lead. Iman Shumpert scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, Tyson Chandler went for nine and 12 with a steal and two blocks, and J.R. Smith had 13 points and seven rebounds in the win.

Tiago Splitter (ankle) is doubtful for Game 1 against the Warriors on Monday.

Splitter, if reasonably healthy, could be a huge X-factor in the series because Golden State has only one good interior defender in Andrew Bogut, who is easily hobbled. Boris Diaw is also questionable to play.

Blake Griffin (ankle) will not start in Friday's elimination Game 6, but could play depending on how he feels and how things go in the game.

Lamar Odom will start in his place and this injury has been a major blow for the Clippers' playoff hopes. It's going to take a herculean effort from his teammates to get the job done in Memphis tonight.

Lee played 87 seconds in the series-clinching Game 6 win over the Nuggets because he was told he could do no further damage. The injury is "going to get fixed one way or another," he said. Lee could theoretically contribute in the second-round series against the Spurs, but his mobility is compromised and the pain may be too tough to bear.

Delfino has a bone fracture in his right foot and needs surgery. It's a severe blow to the Rockets' chances of coming back from an 0-3 hole to beat the Thunder. Delfino was one of the defenders coach Kevin McHale was using on Kevin Durant and he made 11 3-pointers in the first four games of the series. Francisco Garcia and Chandler Parsons are going to have to avoid foul trouble while guarding Durant.

Glen Davis is expected to return from his fractured foot as the starting power forward. The Magic may not want to stunt the growth of exciting prospect Maurice Harkless at small forward, and Arron Afflalo is entrenched at shooting guard. Regardless, Harris is going to play a major role for Orlando whether he's starting or coming off the bench. His 17.3/8.5/2.1 triple slash over the final 27 games was eye-opening.

Wright showed some serious improvement while with the Mavs for the last two seasons. A valuable reserve in 2012-13, he averaged 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in just 18.0 minutes per night. Still just 25 years old and measuring in a 6-foot-10, Wright is going to attract real interest on the open market. The Mavs won't be able to hold him at arm's length while pursuing Dwight Howard and other top-flight free agents.

Budenholzer is the top assistant to Gregg Popovich and has been with him for 16 years, which means he has instant credibility. The Pistons have already talked to Nate McMillan and are expected to meet with Kelvin Sampson. Phil Jackson, a personal friend of Pistons owner Tom Gores, is serving as a consultant on the coaching search.

Splitter hasn't practiced or played since sustained a pretty serious sprain in Game 3 against the Lakers. It leaves him highly questionable for Game 1 against the Warriors. Aron Baynes started in Game 4 of the Lakers series, but coach Gregg Popovich might be able to get away with a smaller lineup against Golden State. He has used Tim Duncan at center and Kawhi Leonard at power forward for stretches in the past.

"It's fine. It'll be better tonight," Paul said Friday morning. "I've had some time." The damage is on CP3's left (non-shooting) side. We wouldn't expect him to be limited whatsoever as the Clips face an elimination game.

The high right ankle sprain Griffin sustained during Monday's practice is the worst of his career. He went through a light workout Friday morning, but that doesn't tell us much. Even if Griffin does suit up, we wouldn't expect a full complement of minutes and touches. Lamar Odom is going to play a major role in Game 6.

TNT sideline reporter Rachel Nichols was able to secure a few minutes with Rose. "He's telling me how badly he does want to be out there, but he says that he just doesn't have the muscle memory back, is the way he put it," Nichols said. In other words, Rose's knee doesn't feel right, it's affecting his shot and he doesn't want to be on the court when he's unsure of himself. Meanwhile, the rest of his Bulls teammates are slogging through a brutal series against the Nets, most of them playing on one leg or sick. "I think Derrick owes it to his teammates at this stage," TNT's Steve Kerr said Monday.

This isn't some mere flu bug. Deng may have to spend the Friday night in the ER after his symptoms worsened in the morning. No one should be questioning his heart as he is one of the toughest players in the entire NBA. He sounds extremely doubtful for Saturday night's Game 7 in Brooklyn, but we wouldn't put anything past him. Deng said that if he gets medically cleared, he'll hop on a flight Saturday morning and join his teammates.

The Nuggets are desperate for some outside shooting, even if Danilo Gallinari (torn ACL) surprisingly makes it back for the start of the 2013-14 season. Korver would make a ton of sense, but he's going to attract plenty of attention. One of the game's premier riflemen, Korver tied for second in 3-pointers made per game (2.6) and ranked second in 3-point percentage (45.7).

Brewer was a valuable reserve for the Nuggets this season, playing in all 82 games and averaging 12.1 points, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 3-pointers. The mid-level exception would be worth $5.1M per season, signifying a raise on his 2012-13 salary of $3.2M. Brewer has starting-caliber talent and projects as one of the league's sleepers in free agency this summer.

Ujiri gave McGee a $44M contract last summer and then watched coach George Karl give him 18.1 minutes per game. It's something that simply shouldn't be acceptable going forward. Although McGee has a ton of warts, his raw ability dwarfs that of Kosta Koufos. If the Nuggets are going to win without a superstar, McGee has to be a big part of it. We wouldn't be surprised if Ujiri implores Karl to start McGee and give him 25-plus minutes next season.

Unlike last year, Wade played through the playoffs with a left knee injury that eventually needed surgery. This year is totally different, as he's just dealing with pain from a bone bruise. Wade did practice on Friday as the Heat await their second-round opponent. They'll face the exhausted winner of the Nets/Bulls series.

Griffin's sprain appears to be of the "high" variety. He lasted just 19 minutes in Game 5 and would undoubtedly take some significant time off if this were the regular season. Officially, Griffin is a game-time call for Friday's Game 6. We'll know his status around 8:30pm ET. If he can't go, Lamar Odom will draw the start.

It's the storyline that just won't go away. Rose is looking increasingly likely to sit out the season regardless of how long the Bulls' year lasts, and it's getting repetitive to pass along the same info time and time again. When Rose is ready to play, he'll let everyone know.

Hinrich's availability would be huge with Luol Deng (illness) iffy and Derrick Rose (knee) still sidelined, but we won't know his status until he's able to test out his calf before tipoff. ESPN Chicago is calling Hinrich a game-time decision, but the Chicago Tribune is calling him doubtful. Either way, he'll have to prove capable of playing before the Bulls let him get on the floor. Chicago has battled injuries all season and it would be a pretty big illustration of the team's fortitude if they're able to get out of the first round. If Hinrich can't go, it would be the Nate Robinson show once again.

Unbelievable. Deng couldn't get on the floor in Game 6 because of he's very ill, and now it may prevent him from traveling as well. If he's unable to play in a game which decides the Bulls season, Jimmy Butler would start at small forward with Marco Belinelli at shooting guard. The flight is in two and a half hours, so we should know more soon.

Scott Brooks has very strangely not played Collison over 20 minutes in any game, and it's about time he proved capable of making an adjustment when it's desperately needed. Collison averaged 19.5 minutes during the regular season but has not played that much in any game during the playoffs.

Wade is preparing for the second round, and it's good to hear he's made progress for two straight days. His participation in practice this far out from Monday's next game is certainly encouraging, and at this point it would be a surprise if he had to miss Game 1 of the second round.

Between his shoulder and Jordan Crawford's "trash talk," Carmelo's got a lot in his mind heading into Game 6 at Boston. If the Knicks are the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead and it happens in the first round, Anthony may not want to read the newspapers at all in the offseason. The Knicks will look to end the series rather than head to a deciding Game 7.

Delfino was going for X-rays and evaluation on his sore foot on Thursday, so it's not a good sign that he wasn't on the floor. Even if Delfino does suit up, we'd expect very little production given that he's nowhere close to full strength.

It could be a sign that Lin is preparing to play or it could mean nothing at all. Even if Lin does return, we'd suspect it will be in an altered role and he's not a lock to play major minutes. With Lin and Carlos Delfino (foot) less than 100 percent, Patrick Beverley and Francisco Garcia will continue to see extended minutes.

"I'm used to having the ball and getting into a rhythm that way," he said. "[But] if they want me to [do] something else, then I've got to do what they want me to do," he added. He doesn't sound unhappy about his role at all so we're not putting much stock into this.

Diaw was a full participant in both "lengthy" practices this week, a great sign for his availability in the second round. "It's been a process, getting back, staying in shape and being able to get the core back so I wouldn't feel any pain," he said. "It's been good so far. I think I'll be ready. I'm playing five-on-five already, and we don't play until Monday, so I should be good." His presence is especially important with Tiago Splitter (ankle) still sidelined.

"I almost didn't play today, to be honest with you," he said. "I took a shot before the game, the first one I've taken all year, that I've ever taken in my career. I'm very, very good now, but I'm not looking forward to waking up in the morning." Bogut's ankle issues are not going away, and that's especially concerning given the microfracture surgery he had on it previously.

Lin will apparently go through contact practice to determine just how far he's come, and he hasn't even taken contact since the chest injury, so he was never really close to playing in Game 4 or Game 5 despite what he's said. Lin wants to play in Game 6, but as has been the case, the training staff will make the final call. Either way, Patrick Beverley will see plenty of time on the floor.

Delfino's status for Game 6 is up in the air, but after dealing with a sore left foot earlier in the season, the issue hasn't gone away. "I've been having this for a couple of weeks now," he said. "I've been playing in pain." Kevin McHale revealed Delfino is dealing with bone spurs, a fracture of a bone spur, and "a lot of different stuff going on." Even if Delfino somehow plays on Friday, expect Francisco Garcia to see extended minutes.

Chandler is 9-of-16 through five games and has played 30 minutes or more in three straight games, and the Knicks desperately need to get him more involved on the offensive end. Chandler shot 63.8 percent from the floor in the regular season while averaging a double-double, and that's the version of Chandler the Knicks need. With the pick-and-roll proving successful with Raymond Felton, the Knicks should make an effort to feed their big man in Game 6.

Stoudemire was set to go through an informal scrimmage on Thursday, but that didn't happen because the team had to prepare for Game 6 on Friday. STAT did do shooting drills and ran, but even if the series goes to a Game 7, he's not expected to make his return early.

"I didn't know who coach was going to choose," Liggins said. "I was just ready; my job is just to stay ready," he added. Coach Scott Brooks said he likes what Liggins can provide and the swingman provides the team with "a little bit of balance." Liggins is intense on defense and OKC needs to badly improve on that end of the floor after multiple breakdowns in Game 5.

"Talk to the trainers. I'm getting treatment every day. It's the playoffs," he said. Z-Bo was asked about Blake Griffin's ankle sprain and clearly wasn't sympathetic at all. "Last year when I played in the playoffs, I wasn't 100 percent, but I was out there, so I had to be 100 percent. It's the playoffs. It's a big-boy game." As if there hasn't been enough of the good stuff in this series, Friday night's Game 6 just got a whole lot more interesting with Randolph calling out Griffin.

"I don't know if it's just about [lack of] intensity," he said. "It might be more about paying attention to detail and understanding what sacrifice is and how to sacrifice yourself for the team." It's pretty rich that Odom would be the one to speak on the issue given the effort he provided in Dallas last year and the fact that he showed up to Clippers training camp overweight and out of shape, but at least someone is talking. Odom added he's tried to take a leadership role all year, but some of his advance has "fallen on deaf ears." The Clippers are up against it and the Grizzlies smell blood in the water with Game 6 in Memphis.

It's what we expected to hear, but Pekovic's free agency has the potential to turn into a monster headache for the team. The Wolves aren't good enough as currently constructed, but they can't really afford to lose Pekovic without a suitable replacement. A desperate team will throw Pekovic a multi-year offer at something like $10-12 million per season, a figure that may be difficult for Minnesota to match when looking at all of the holes on the roster. It's rare a team lets a restricted free agent leave, especially someone as critical as Pekovic is to Minnesota.

Many were calling for Williams to actually go first ahead of Kyrie Irving, and that would have been a monumental disaster for Cleveland. Players drafted after Williams include Jonas Valanciunas, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, Iman Shumpert, Tobias Harris and Kenneth Faried. "You just had to do it, even though we were deep at that position. In time, I think it will prove to be the right pick," Kahn said.

Flynn, who did not play in the NBA this season despite being just 24 years old, is still trying to get back to the league. Kahn said the team knew Ricky Rubio wouldn't come over in his first year, which may or may not be true, and according to Kahn, "the scouts had Flynn as the No. 1 point guard." Jonathan Givony of Draft Express reports that Rubio had come right away to Minny had the team not drafted Flynn.

If true, it's a seriously large statement and a potential reflection of why Love has said what he has about the organization in the past. "We handled it the best way we can, and of course I handled it per instructions from the owner," Kahn said. "Glen and I talked about it at length. I think it actually took me some time to tell Glen it was imperative he receive max money." Kahn also revealed that Love really wanted the five-year deal instead of the four-year deal he settled for instead. Love can opt out of his contract in 2015.

Adelman was tentatively planning to return as coach, but nothing has been decided with certainty yet. As long as Adelman's wife doesn't have a setback with her health, he should be back on the sidelines next season.

Noah said that his priority "will always be with the Bulls," so that has to make management happy. With Noah hobbling through plantar fasciitis, he'll need plenty of rest and treatment during the offseason, but it's too early to make a call as to whether or not he'll suit up.

Lee, who was ruled out for the season, miraculously returned to play 87 seconds against the Nuggets on Thursday, but nobody knows what he'll be capable of doing moving forward. "I don't know what his role will be going forward," Mark Jackson said. "He put himself in position to inspire his team." If Lee's return turns out to be a one-game cameo, we're guessing he'll think it was worth it. According to the Mercury News, a team source said Lee can't risk further damage to his hip flexor by playing through it, so it may be a pain tolerance issue.

Shaw has been deserving of an opportunity as a head coach for a while now, and the speculation makes sense considering Shaw studied and played under Jackson previously. With the Pacers in the playoffs, Shaw is unlikely to interview for any job until Indiana's season ends. He's been previously linked to the Sixers vacancy as well.

The Warriors apparently broached Jack during the season, but he chose to focus on this year and wait until the offseason to focus on his contract. By doing so, he's earned himself more money and it will be very difficult for the Warriors to retain him. Jack is a proven difference-maker off the bench, and has the report notes, he's been an "integral part of the Warriors' success this season."

This is according to beat writer Gery Woelfel, who cites a "good friend" of Van Gundy's as his source. It would be very surprising to see Van Gundy jump at Milwaukee's opportunity when there are better options available.

It's like clock work with Collins no matter where he coaches because it's the same story spun in a different way. One player told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Collins had a "tendency t be overbearing," which falls in line with previous criticism during Collins' coaching career. The Sixers have known interest in Brian Shaw, Mike Malone, Jeff Hornacek and Michael Curry thus far. Philly is also expected to be interested in Larry Drew if he is fired in Atlanta after the Hawks finish their season, and it was reported previously that Drew would have interest in the Philly job.

Pierce has a team option for $15.3 million, but he can be bought out for $5 million before June 30. "It's not like you get a 21-year-old All-Star player or you get the number one pick in the draft [if you let Pierce go]," he said. Ainge stressed the need to do what's best for the Celtics, but it would be awfully strange to see The Truth in another uniform. As soon as the Celtics season ends, the Pierce speculation will really start to heat up.

Thomas needs to improve his shooting touch, especially from outside the painted area, but it's a very small amount of money for a guy who has proven his worth under Monty Williams. Although Thomas didn't play a ton this season, we'd expect him to remain in New Orleans.

"It's either the NBA, Europe or China for me. But the D-League is not an option right now," he said. It's hard to blame Fortson after he lit up the league and couldn't get a call up, but his small stature is working against him as he tries to climb back into the NBA.

Hornacek is currently an assistant in Utah, Sampson in Houston and Tibbetts in Cleveland, whereas Turner was most recently an assistant in Phoenix and Gentry was canned by the Suns during the 2012/13 season. Charlotte has no timetable to make their next hire but the list is five candidates long with the potential to grow.

Andrew Bogut looked healthy to help give Golden State a 4-2 series win over the Nuggets with playoff career highs of 14 points and 21 boards.

Despite being a game-time decision, he played a surprising 39 minutes, shot 7-of-10 from the field, pulled down seven offensive boards and blocked four shots. It was vintage Bogut and the Warriors looked like a different team on defense with the Aussie as the last line of defense. They're going to need his help with the Spurs leading the Western Conference in field goal percentage this season.

David Lee played 87 seconds against the Nuggets on Thursday, failing to score with one rebound.

It was more about Lee actually checking in than anything else and the Oracle was electric when he entered the game in the first quarter. Lee suffered a complete tear of his hip flexor in Game 1 and was ruled out for the season, so he's still unlikely to make much of an impact against the Spurs in the next round.

Draymond Green was terrific in a Game 6 win on Thursday with 16 points, 10 boards, one assist and two 3-pointers in 24 minutes.

He was all hustle tonight and did a lot of the dirty work with the Nuggets going into attack mode for most of the game. Green shot 6-of-12 from the field, but he did have some very sloppy turnovers in the last two minutes of the game. His emergence could be useful against the Spurs in Round 2.

Kenneth Faried grabbed five offensive boards in Thursday's Game 6 loss to the Warriors, finishing with 11 points and 11 boards in 28 minutes.

JaVale McGee added seven offensive boards of his own on his way to nine points, 10 boards, two steals and one block in 26 minutes. The Nuggets had an astonishing 22 offensive rebounds and still weren't able to get a W. Denver led the NBA with 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, but shooting just 34.7 percent from the field led to their undoing tonight. Faried had his ups and downs during the season and his inconsistent minutes could make fantasy owners shy away from drafting him next year.

Andre Iguodala filled the stat sheet in a season-ending loss to the Warriors on Thursday, scoring 24 points with nine boards, six assists, one steal and five 3-pointers on 7-of-18 shooting.

He turned in a huge game and the Nuggets would have been blown out without Iggy tonight. His 3-point shooting really picked up in this series with an average of 2.8 makes per game and he shot exactly 50 percent from the field. He's made just 0.9 triples per game in his career and the Warriors allowed him to get several open looks. The Nuggets will have their core back for next year.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors to a series-clinching win on Thursday with 22 points, four boards, eight assists, two steals, four 3-pointers on 6-of-14 shooting.

It was a messy way to close out the series for Golden State and they turned the ball over 10 times in the fourth quarter. Curry and the Warriors were hot in the third quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 33-20 in that frame. The third quarter has been when Curry was at his best and he shot an incredible 68 percent for an average of 10.7 points during this series. Golden State will have their hands full with Greg Popovich preparing his team to limit Curry in Round 2.

Brook Lopez took a team-high 18 shots and made seven of them for 17 points during Game 6's win over Chicago to go with three boards, one assist, two steals and two blocks in 37 minutes.

He wasn't as aggressive as usual and five of his 18 shots came from beyond 16 feet. Although, Lopez isn't a terrible jump shooter, making 37 percent of his attempts from beyond 16 feet this season. Joe Johnson was solid despite playing on one bad heel with 17 points in 38 minutes. Andray Blatche was also clutch and knocked down three free throws in the last 32 seconds of the game, finishing with 10 points and seven boards in 19 minutes. Game 7 on Saturday at Barclay's Center will postpone a Rihanna concert to Tuesday night. Plan accordingly.